266
FXUS65 KBYZ 122105
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
305 PM MDT MON OCT 12 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- OCCASIONAL PRECIPITATION (LIGHT RAIN/SNOW AND DRIZZLE) OVER
SOUTHERN MONTANA INTO WYOMING TODAY INTO TUESDAY.
- LOW TEMPERATURES NEAR TO BELOW FREEZING CONTINUE THIS WEEK,
COLDEST WHERE SNOW REMAINS ON THE GROUND.
- SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION IN FAR SOUTH-EASTERN MONTANA LATE
WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY THURSDAY.
- CONDITIONS TREND WARMER AND DRY FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
A LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES IS
BRINGING COOL CONDITIONS AND MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES TO THE AREA
TODAY. WHILE MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL, OCCASIONAL
PRECIPITATION INTO TUESDAY IS FORECAST OVER SOUTHERN MONTANA AND
NORTHERN WYOMING AS WAVES OF ENERGY AND MOISTURE LIFT THROUGH THE
AREA. THE FIRST WAVE ARRIVED LATE THIS MORNING INTO EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON, BRINGING A PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW TO AREAS AROUND
GARDINER TO LIVINGSTON, MONTANA. AS THIS WAVE LIFTS NORTH, THE
WAVE IS DRYING OUT AND PRECIPITATION IS TAPERING OFF. THE SECOND
WAVE, WHICH IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY INTO TUESDAY MORNING, IS THE
REMNANTS OF HURRICANE RACHEL. THEREFORE, AMPLE MOISTURE EXISTS
WITH THIS WAVE, AND RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO BE A BIT
MORE WIDESPREAD. HOWEVER, PRECIPITATION MAY REMAIN DRIZZLE OR
FLURRIES IN MANY PLACES, WITH ONLY POCKETS OF MODERATE RAIN OR
SNOW. WHILE COLDER AIR IS IN PLACE OVER THE REGION, CLOUD COVER
SHOULD LIMIT HOW MUCH COOLING EXISTS TONIGHT, SO SNOW LEVELS LOOK
TO REMAIN AROUND 5,000 TO 9,000 FEET, LOWEST TO THE NORTH. WHILE
THE CHANCE REMAINS LOW, POCKETS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE CANNOT BE
RULED OUT AROUND THE BIGHORN AND PRYOR MOUNTAINS TONIGHT INTO
TUESDAY MORNING, BUT WARMER GROUNDS SHOULD LIMIT THIS THREAT. THIS
COULD (LOW CHANCE) IMPACT TRAVEL ALONG HIGHWAY 14 THROUGH THE
BIGHORN MOUNTAINS. OTHERWISE, AREAS OF FOG ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT, WITH LOCALLY DENSE FOG POSSIBLE IN SPOTS
(MEDIUM CHANCE).
TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY LOOK TO BE ABOUT 10 DEGREES WARMER THAN
TODAY AS THE INFLUENCE FROM THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM GRADUALLY
DIMINISHES. WITH THAT SAID, OCCASIONAL RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS MAY
LINGER INTO TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER/NEAR THE MOUNTAINS
SOUTH OF BILLINGS (30 PERCENT CHANCE).
WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY LOOK TO BE SEASONABLE DAYS WITH HIGHS IN
THE 50S AND 60S. EARLY THURSDAY, A DRY BACKDOOR COLD FRONT IS
EXPECTED TO BRING BREEZY CONDITIONS TO THE AREA, WITH
NORTHWESTERLY WIND GUSTS IN THE 20S (MPH) FOR MOST. LOCATIONS OVER
FAR SOUTH-EASTERN MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING COULD SEE GUSTS
INTO THE 30S AND 40S MPH AS WELL. AHEAD OF THE FRONT, THERE IS A
SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION OVER FAR SOUTH-EASTERN MONTANA
WEDNESDAY NIGHT (25 PERCENT CHANCE).
FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WILL SEE TEMPERATURES WARM BACK ABOVE NORMAL
AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE REGION. AROUND
LIVINGSTON TO NYE, A FAVORABLE PRESSURE GRADIENT MAY SET UP
SATURDAY MORNING, ALLOWING BREEZY GAP WINDS TO DEVELOP. A MAINLY
DRY COLD FRONT ON SUNDAY LOOKS TO END THESE WINDS, AND BRING
SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA. LA
AVIATION
18Z DISCUSSION...
ANOTHER ROUND OF PRECIPITATION (RASN) WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION
AFTER 03Z. THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR PRECIP IS NEAR KSHR OVERNIGHT
TONIGHT. OUTSIDE OF THIS MAIN PRECIPITATION, ANY SITE COULD SEE -DZ
NOW THROUGH 16Z TUESDAY MORNING. FOG DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO LIKELY
OVERNIGHT TONIGHT WITH THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR DENSE FOG (LIFR)
FORECAST NEAR KLVM. KLVM MAY EVEN SEE DENSE FREEZING FOG BETWEEN
09Z AND 13Z. CEILINGS WILL REMAIN MVFR AT BEST, NEARLY ALL SITES
WILL SEE DIPS TO IFR/LIFR, ESPECIALLY OVERNIGHT. MOUNTAINS WILL
BE OBSCURED THROUGH THE ENTIRE PERIOD. FLIGHT CATEGORIES WILL
CHANGE QUICKLY AND FREQUENTLY THROUGH THE ENTIRE PERIOD. WMR
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN MON
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 031/053 031/061 041/059 035/067 046/073 045/069 044/073
20/B 00/B 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U
LVM 023/049 022/054 027/060 027/070 036/073 036/070 036/073
10/B 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U 11/U
HDN 031/054 029/063 036/061 030/068 035/076 038/071 037/075
22/R 00/B 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U
MLS 033/053 031/059 039/057 031/065 038/073 043/068 041/072
01/B 00/B 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U 10/U
4BQ 036/052 034/061 042/059 031/066 042/075 044/070 044/075
34/R 00/B 20/U 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U
BHK 030/053 028/062 035/058 026/064 036/075 041/070 038/074
03/R 00/B 10/N 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U
SHR 031/052 029/060 036/060 027/068 035/075 038/071 037/075
55/R 21/B 20/N 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page